Shloka 49
तुलसी-शङ्खचूडोपाख्यानम् — Viṣṇu’s Disguise and the Tulasī Episode
Prelude to Śaṅkhacūḍa’s Fall
हरिर्वे शैलरूपी च गंडकी तीरसंनिधौ । संकरिष्यत्यधिष्ठानं भारते तव शापतः
harirve śailarūpī ca gaṃḍakī tīrasaṃnidhau | saṃkariṣyatyadhiṣṭhānaṃ bhārate tava śāpataḥ
Indeed, Hari (Viṣṇu) will take the form of a mountain near the bank of the Gaṇḍakī. There, in Bhārata (India), by the power of your curse, he will establish his sacred seat—an abode of worship.
Sūta Gosvāmin (narrating to the sages of Naimiṣāraṇya)
Tattva Level: pasha
Sthala Purana: This verse is part of the Śālagrāma–Gaṇḍakī origin thread: by a curse, Hari is destined to become śailarūpī near the Gaṇḍakī, creating a fixed adhiṣṭhāna (seat) for worship in Bhārata—i.e., the sacralization of a landscape into a tīrtha/arcā-support.
Significance: Establishes a dhruva (fixed) locus for arcā-upāsanā; merit accrues through contact with the tīrtha and the aniconic emblem (śilā) that becomes worship-worthy.
Cosmic Event: Curse (śāpa) functioning as a providential mechanism shaping sacred geography
FAQs
The verse highlights that even a “curse” operates within divine order, shaping sacred geography (tīrthas and abodes) so beings may approach God through devotion and pilgrimage—an outward event serving inward spiritual upliftment.
By describing the establishment of an adhiṣṭhāna (a fixed sacred seat), the verse reflects Purāṇic emphasis on accessible, saguna forms and holy locations where worship becomes concrete—supporting disciplined devotion that ultimately matures toward realization of the Supreme.
Undertake tīrtha-smaraṇa (remembrance of holy places) and tīrtha-yātrā with mantra-japa—especially the Panchākṣarī “Om Namaḥ Śivāya”—cultivating humility and surrender to divine will.